Whatever Chris Paul has left this season, he should give it to New Orleans Hornets

Absolutely, Chris Paul should come back and play these final games with the New Orleans Hornets, as many as he can.

David Grunfeld/The Times-PicayuneIf Chris Paul is healthy enough to come back before the regular season ends, he should.If he has medical clearance, there's no doubt he should rejoin his lottery-bound teammates and provide a lift for a team that desperately needs to end the regular season on whatever high note it can muster enough wind to blow. If he's comfortable with it, he should leave his suits in the closet, pull on his No. 3 jersey and provide some scrap and backbone for a squad that recently has gone lacking in both departments.

And any premise that includes him sitting out the final 11 games, including tonight against the Dallas Mavericks in the New Orleans Arena, should be dismissed as nonsense.

First, we can wave it off because if Paul can play, he's not going to be talked down.

We've seen enough of him to have a good idea the kind of competitor he is, and the Hornets desperately have missed his feistiness during a 25-game absence cause by knee surgery, during which New Orleans has gone 8-17. So we know better than to think he'd be willing to sit if he can play; it's not in his makeup.

Second, if it was in his makeup to take off days and milk injuries, or to say he doesn't want to play because he's afraid of getting hurt, the same people who are recommending that he sit would elbow their way to the front of the line to criticize him. They'd complain that he's paid handsomely to play a game, that if they're injured they still have to show up for work, that he should be ashamed for not giving his all every chance he gets to give his all.

Jamal Mashburn and Baron Davis were pilloried while being suspected of bailing on the Hornets during the team's time of need while each former All-Star was on the roster. It didn't matter if each legitimately was injured and had been advised to wait; the perception was that each was selfish and unwilling to push himself for his teammates and earn his keep in the eyes of the fans.

Nothing about Paul has suggested he'd flirt with falling into that category. Actually, it has been quite the opposite.

Last year he injured his groin shortly before the All-Star Game and despite missing several games - and ignoring the temptation to play it safe - he played in the exhibition and the rest of the season and averaged a career high in points (22.8) and minutes (38.5) in 78 games.

And the look on his face during inactivity, and the attempt to remain connected to the game from the bench by giving advice and encouragement to teammates or giving the business to referees, suggests the guy wants to be on the court more than he wants to be anywhere else.

Again, that's what the Hornets - or any franchise - should want, especially from its leader and best player.

Definitely, Paul should come back and play. Mostly, because he gives you the feeling he couldn't live with himself if he didn't.